How steel is made Chapter 6

Ni Ostrovsky gt; How Steel is Tempered Chapter 6

Two people stood at the door of the hotel’s concert hall. One of them was a big man, wearing pince-nez glasses and a red armband with "Picket Captain" written on his arm.

"Is the Ukrainian delegation meeting here?" Lida asked.

The big man replied in an official tone: "Yes! What's the matter?"

"Please let me in."

The big man blocked it Halfway through the door, he looked at Lida and asked, "Where is your ID? Only official representatives and non-voting representatives can enter."

Lida took out the gilded representative ID card from her bag. When the big man saw the words "Member of the Central Committee" printed on it, his indifferent attitude immediately disappeared. He became polite and said affectionately like he was to "one of his own family members": "Please, please come in. There is an empty seat on the left." ."

Leda passed through the rows of chairs, saw an empty seat, and sat down. The delegates' meeting is coming to an end. Lida listened to the chairman's speech attentively. The man's voice sounded familiar to her.

“Comrades, the election of deputies to the meeting of chief deputies of delegations to the All-Russian Congress and to the meeting of delegations has been completed. There are still two hours before leaving the meeting. Please allow me to repeat Check the list of representatives who have registered."

Leda recognized this person as Akeem, who was reading the list of representatives hurriedly.

Every time a name is called, a hand holds up a red or white representative card.

Lida listened attentively.

A familiar name came to her ears: "Pankratov."

Lida turned back and looked at the place where her hands were raised, where rows of representatives sat , but could not see the familiar faces of dock workers. The list was read quickly, and she heard another familiar name - Okunev, and then another - Zharki.

Leda saw Zharki. He was sitting nearby, diagonally across from her. Isn't that his profile? It's hard to recognize it anymore... It's him, Ivan.

Leda has not seen him for several years.

The list went down quickly. Suddenly, she heard a name and couldn't help but tremble: "Korchakin."

A hand was raised far in front of her. Then he put it down again. Oddly enough, Leda couldn't wait to see the man who had the same surname as her dead friend. She stared intently at the spot where she had raised her hands, but all the heads looked the same.

Leda stood up and walked to the front row along the passage against the wall. At this time, Akeem had finished reading the list, and there was a sound of moving chairs. The representatives spoke loudly, and the young people laughed heartily. So Akeem tried his best to cover up the noise in the hall and shouted : "Don't be late, everyone!... Grand Theater, seven o'clock!..."

The entrance to the hall is very crowded.

Lida knew that she would not be able to find the acquaintances she just read on the list in the crowded crowd. The only way is to keep an eye on Akeem and find the others through him.

She let the last group of representatives pass by and walked towards Akeem.

Suddenly, she heard someone behind her say: "How about it, Korchagin, let's go too, brother."

Then, a voice so familiar and unforgettable answered Said: "Let's go."

Leda turned around hurriedly and saw a tall and dark young man standing in front of her, wearing a grass-green military uniform and blue breeches, with a narrow Caucasian belt tied around her waist. belt.

Leda looked at him with wide eyes. It was not until a pair of hands hugged her passionately and a trembling voice softly called "Leda" that she realized that this was really Paul Ko. Chakin.

"Are you still alive?"

This question explains everything. It turns out that she never knew that the news of his death was a misinformation.

Everyone in the hall was gone. Through the open windows came the bustle of Tverskaya Street, the city's main thoroughfare.

The clock struck six loudly, but they both felt that they had only met for a few minutes. The bell urged them to the Grand Theatre. As they walked up the broad staircase to the door, she looked carefully at Paul again. He is now half a head taller than her, and he is still the same as before, only more heroic and calm.

“Look, I haven’t asked you where you work yet.”

“I am now the secretary of the *** Youth League Committee, or as Dubava said , Become the 'master of the agency'." As he said that, Paul smiled slightly.

"Have you met him?"

"Yes, but the impression left by that meeting was very unpleasant."

They walked onto the street . On the street, cars speeded past with their horns honking, and noisy pedestrians came and went. The two of them walked all the way to the Grand Theater, barely speaking, thinking about the same thing. There was a sea of ??people around the theater, and the fanatical and stubborn crowd rushed towards the stone building of the theater again and again, eager to rush into the entrance guarded by Red Army soldiers. However, the selfless guards only let in the deputies. The representatives proudly held their IDs and passed through the cordon.

The crowd around the theater was full of members of the Communist Youth League. They did not have attendance certificates, but they all tried their best to attend the opening ceremony of the Congress. Some young men were very smart and mingled with the group of representatives and pushed forward, holding red pieces of paper in their hands to pretend to be ID cards. Sometimes they sneaked into the entrance of the venue, and some even got through the door. However, they were immediately caught by the on-duty Central Committee members or picket captains who guided the guests and representatives into the venue, and were kicked out. This made those "unable to sneak in" The representative was very happy.

There were so many people who wanted to attend the opening ceremony that the theater could not accommodate even one-twentieth of the capacity.

Lida and Paul struggled to get to the entrance of the venue. Delegates came to the venue one after another by tram and car. The door was packed. The Red Army soldiers--they were also members of the Communist Youth League--gradually couldn't stand it anymore. They were squeezed tightly against the wall, and there were shouts in front of the door: "Squeeze! Boys of Bowman College, squeeze!" "

"Come on, brother, we are going to win!"

"Put Chaplin and Sasha Kosarev [Chaplin (1902-1938) and Kosarev (1903-1939) successively served as the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League. ——Translator] Call us, they will let us in!"

"Add—— Oil - ah! "

A young man wearing a youth product international badge, as nimble as a loach, squeezed through the door with Paul and Lida. He dodged the picket captain, ran quickly into the lounge, and disappeared into the crowd of representatives in the blink of an eye.

"Let's sit here." After they entered the main hall, Leda pointed to the seats in the back row.

They sat down in the corner. Leda looked at her watch.

"There are still forty minutes before the departure meeting. Please tell me about the situation of Dubava and Anna." Lida said. Paul looked at her intently, and she was a little embarrassed.

"I went to attend the All-Ukrainian Conference not long ago and visited them by the way. I met Anna several times and only met Dubava once. It would be better not to meet her this time."

"Why?"

Paul remained silent. The tip of his right eye trembled slightly. Lida knew why she was doing this, it was a sign of excitement.

“Tell me, I don’t know anything.”

“Lida, I didn’t want to talk about it now, but you insist on me, so I have to obey. Their relationship completely broke down in front of me. In my opinion, Anna had no choice. They had accumulated so many conflicts that a break was the only way out. Differences. Dubava has always been an opponent. I heard someone in Kharkov talking about his speech in Kiev. He went to Kiev with Shumsky."

"What? Is Shumsky a Trotskyite?"

"Yes, he was, and now he has left them. I talked to him for a long time and now he has come to our side. The edge is coming.

But to Dubava, this could not be said under any circumstances. Dubava is getting deeper and deeper into trouble. Let’s go back and talk about Anna first. She told me everything. When Dubava engages in anti-party activities, he plunges into it and cannot get out. Anna was not less angry with him. For example, he taunted her: "You are a little gray horse of the party. When the master points east, you go east, and when the master points west, you go west." ’ It’s even worse than that. After several conflicts, they became strangers. Anna proposed breaking up, but Dubava was obviously unwilling to lose her. He promised that there would be no more friction between them in the future, and asked her not to leave him, but to help him tide over the difficulties. Anna agreed. For a while it seemed to her that everything was going to be okay. She never heard his harsh words and hurtful words again. When she tried to reason with him, he remained silent and refused to refute. Anna believed that he was seriously reviewing his past stance.

"She heard from Zharki that Dubava no longer caused trouble at the Communist University, and his personal relationship with Zharki could also be harmonious. Not long ago, Anna was She felt uncomfortable at work (she was pregnant), so she went home to rest, closed the door, and lay down. She and Dubava lived in a suite. There was a door connecting the two rooms, but they agreed to nail the door shut. .

"Soon Dubava brought a large group of comrades to the house, and Anna accidentally became a witness to an organized Trotskyist group meeting. She heard so much stuff that she couldn't even dream about. Moreover, in order to welcome the All-Ukrainian Communist Youth League Representative Conference, they also printed a manifesto and other things, prepared to hide it under their clothes and secretly distribute it to the representatives. Anna suddenly woke up: Dubava was playing tricks.

"After everyone left, Anna called Dubava to her room and asked him to explain what just happened.

"I happened to arrive in Kharkov that day to attend Conference of Representatives, met with representatives of Kiev in the Central Committee.

“Talia gave me Anna’s address, she lived very close and I decided to visit her before lunch because we had not been able to find her in the Women’s Department of the Party Central Committee where she worked and she was there As an instructor

“Thalia and several other comrades also agreed to visit her. You see, it's neither too early nor too late. When I arrived, I was just in time for this hurdle. "

Paul smiled bitterly.

Lida frowned slightly as she listened, leaning her arms on the velvet handles of the seat. Paul stopped making any sound. He Looking at Lida, recalling her previous appearance in Kiev, and comparing her appearance with the current one, I once again realized that she had grown into a fit and charming young woman, and the military uniform she wore all year round was gone. It was replaced by a simple but exquisitely sewn blue dress. Her fingers grabbed his hand and gently pulled it, asking him to continue.

"I'm listening. Paul. "

Paul continued, and also grabbed her finger and never let go.

"When Anna saw me, she couldn't hide her joy. Dubava is cold. It turned out that he already knew about my struggle against the opposition.

“This meeting is a bit nondescript. I seem to be playing a role like a judge. Anna kept talking, and Dubava walked around the room, smoking one cigarette after another. He was obviously upset and angry.

“‘Look, Povrusha, he not only deceived me, but also deceived the party. He organized some kind of underground group and was still there to stir up trouble, but in front of me he said he was quitting. He publicly admitted at the Communist University that the resolution of the Congress was correct. He claims to be a "decent man", but at the same time he is hiding the truth and playing tricks. I want to write a letter to report to the Provincial Supervisory Committee about today’s matter. ' Anna said angrily.

"Dubawa was very dissatisfied and muttered: "'What's the big deal? Let's go and report. This is a party where even my wife acts as a spy and eavesdrops on her husband's conversations. Do you think I am happy to be a member of this party? '"Such words were of course too much for Anna. She shouted and told Dubava to go away. When he went out, I said to Anna, let me talk to him. Anna said it was in vain. But I went anyway. I think he and I were good friends, and he wasn't hopeless.

"I went to his room. He lay on the bed and immediately blocked my mouth and said, "'Don't come here to persuade me. I'm tired of this. '"But I still have to say it.

"I thought of the past and said: "'From the mistakes we made before. You didn't learn any lessons? Dubava, do you remember , how did petty bourgeois consciousness push us onto the path of the opposition party? '" What do you think he answered me? He said: "'At that time, Paul, you and I were both workers, and we had no worries. We could say whatever we thought in our hearts, and there was nothing wrong with what we thought. Before the implementation of the New Economic Policy, there was a real revolution. Now, it is a semi-bourgeois revolution. Everyone who makes money from the new economic policy is full of money and has silk clothes on his body, but there are countless unemployed people in our government and the party's upper echelons. The economic policy is prosperous. It also hooks up with those female capitalists. The goal of the entire policy is to develop capitalism. It is shy when it comes to the dictatorship of the proletariat. It adopts a liberal attitude toward farmers and cultivates rich peasants. It won’t take long for them to become rich peasants. They will be the masters of the country. Just wait and see, in five or six years, the Soviet regime will be buried unconsciously, just like the upstarts of the New Economic Policy in France. He will become the minister of the new bourgeois republic, and if people like you and I dare to talk, they will even rip off their heads. In a word, if you continue like this, you will die. , Lida, Dubava can’t bring anything new, it’s just Trotskyist clichés. I talked to him for a long time.

"Finally I realized that arguing with him was like playing the piano to an ox. In my opinion, Dubava could not be dragged back. I was late for the meeting just to talk to him.

"When he was leaving, he probably wanted to 'praise' me and said, "'Paul, I know you haven't become rigid and have not become a bureaucrat who voted in favor because you were afraid of losing your position. But you have that kind of eyes. People who saw nothing but red flags. "In the evening, representatives from Kiev came to Anna's house for a party. Among them were Zharki and Shumsky. Anna has gone to the Provincial Supervisory Committee and we all think she did the right thing. I stayed in Kharkov for eight days and met Anna several times at the Central Committee. She moved. I heard from Thalia that Anna was going to have an abortion. The breakup with Dubava seemed irreversible. Thalia stayed in Kharkov for a few more days to help her with this matter.

"On the day we left for Moscow, Zharki heard that the party's three-person group gave Dubava a severe reprimand and warning. The party committee of the Communist University also agreed with this decision . Only one step away from the highest punishment. In this way, Dubava was finally not expelled from the party."

The venue gradually became crowded, and the crowd continued to flow in, surrounded by chatter and laughter. . The huge theater is receiving a rare and energetic flow of people in this world. These young Bolsheviks are so enthusiastic, so optimistic, and so courageous, like rapids rushing down the mountains.

The noise grew louder. Paul seemed to feel that Lida was not listening to him. As soon as he stopped speaking, Lida immediately said: "I think we can just talk about Dubava today. Why spend the rest of our time on this! It's so bright here, and the breath of life is so strong..."

Leda moved closer to him. They were closer, making it difficult to talk. In order to keep her voice quieter, she leaned towards him.

"There is a question, I want you to answer me." Leda said. "Although the matter has passed, I think you will tell me: Why did you interrupt our study and our friendship in the first place?"

Although Paul expected her as soon as he met her, He still felt embarrassed that he would ask this question. Their eyes met, and Paul saw that she knew the reason.

"Lida, I think you are fully aware. This happened three years ago, and now I can only blame Paul at that time. Generally speaking, Paul made many mistakes in his life. There are many mistakes, big and small, and what you are asking now is one of them."

Leda smiled slightly.

"This is a good opening. But what I want to hear is the answer."

Paul continued in a low voice: "It's not entirely my fault,' Gadfly ' and his revolutionary romanticism are also responsible. There are some books that create a distinct image of revolutionaries, who are brave, resolute, and completely dedicated to the revolutionary cause. They left an indelible impression on me, and I was inspired to do this. People's wishes. I deal with your feelings in the same way as a gadfly. I feel ridiculous now, but it's more regretful."

"Now you say that. Has the evaluation of 'Gadfly' changed?"

"No, Lida, basically it has not changed! What I deny is the tragic element of needlessly testing one's will through asceticism. In terms of that, I am sure. I approve of his bravery, his extraordinary perseverance, and his type of person who can endure great pain without showing it to anyone. I approve of this type of revolutionary. For him, everything personal is insignificant compared with the collective cause."

"Paul, I should have said these words three years ago, but it is only regrettable that I did not say them until now. Yes." Lida said thoughtfully with a smile on her face.

"Lida, you said it's regrettable, is it because I can only be your comrade forever, but not someone closer?"

"No, Paul Well, you could have been a closer person."

"There is still time to make amends."

"It's a bit late, Comrade Gadfly."

Leda smiled and said this joke, and then she explained: "I already have a little girl. She has a father who is a good friend of mine. The three of us live in harmony and are now a trinity. Inseparable."

She touched Paul's hand lightly with her fingers to express her concern for him. But she immediately understood that this action was unnecessary. Yes, he has grown not just physically in the past three years. Lida knew that he was sad now - it could be seen from his eyes, but he said without any pretense and sincerely: "No matter what, I still gained much more than what I just lost." There is no comparison with it."

Paul and Lida stood up. I should sit somewhere closer to the stage.

They walked towards the seats of the Ukrainian delegation. The band played music. The huge banner was bright red, and the shining characters seemed to shout: "The future belongs to us." Thousands of seats and boxes upstairs and downstairs were already full. These thousands of people come together to form a powerful transformer - an inexhaustible driving force. The magnificent theater hosted the best of the great working-class Young Guards. Thousands of pairs of eyes stared at the top of the heavy curtain, each pair of eyes was shining, reflecting the shining words "The future belongs to us".

People are still pouring into the venue. In a few minutes, the heavy velvet curtain will slowly open. Chaplin, secretary of the Central Committee of the All-Russian Communist Youth League, will temporarily lose his calm at this extremely solemn moment. He will excitedly announce: "All The Sixth Congress of the Communist Youth League of Russia is now opening."

Paul has never felt the greatness and power of the revolution so clearly and deeply. He feels an indescribable pride. and unprecedented joy. This was what life had given him. It was life that had sent him, a warrior and a builder, here to participate in the victorious congress of the Bolshevism Young Guards.

The conference runs from early morning to late night every day, taking up all the time of the participants. Paul only saw Leda again at the last meeting. She was with a group of Ukrainian representatives. [There is also a passage here in the author's manuscript describing a party held by members of the Communist Youth League at Lida's brother's house.

Lida said at the party: "Friends, I deeply believe that within a few years, the *** Youth League will launch several great writers from its own ranks, and they will tell our heroic past through artistic images. Telling about our equally glorious present, who knows, maybe someone among you here will use a sharp pen to ridicule those of us..." - Editor]. Lida said to him: "I will go back immediately after the conference ends tomorrow. I don't know if we can have another talk before we say goodbye. So today I found the two diaries from the past and wrote a text message. , prepare to leave it to you. After you read it, send it back to me. These things will tell you everything I haven’t told you.”

Paul shook her hand and stared at it. He looked at her for a while, as if he wanted to memorize her face in his heart.

The next day, they met at the gate as promised. Leda handed him a bag and a sealed letter. There were many people around, so they were very reserved when they said goodbye. Paul only saw deep tenderness and a touch of sadness in her moist eyes.

One day later, the train took them in different directions.

The Ukrainian representatives sat in several carriages. Paul is with the Kyiv group.

At night, everyone was asleep, and Okunev snored softly on the bunk next to him. Paul moved closer to the light and opened the letter:

Povrusha, my dear!

I could have told you these words face to face, but it is better to write them down. My only hope is that what I talked about with you on the opening day of the conference will not leave painful memories in your life. I know you are strong, so I believe what you say. My view on life is not too formal. In personal relationships, sometimes, of course, it is very rare. If it is really out of unusual and deep feelings, there can be exceptions. You can get this exception, but I gave up the idea of ??repaying the debt of our youth. I don't think that would bring us much pleasure. Paul, don't be so hard on yourself. There are not only struggles in our lives, but also the joy that beautiful relationships bring.

As for other aspects of your life, that is to say, I am completely reassured about the main content of your life. Hold your hands tightly.

Lida.

Paul thought deeply, tore the letter into pieces, then stretched out the window with both hands, letting the wind blow the pieces of paper away.

The next morning, Paul finished reading the two diaries and wrapped them up. Arriving in Kharkov, Okunev, Pankratov, Paul and other Ukrainian representatives got out of the car. Okunev is going to pick up Thalia who is staying at Anna's place.

Pankratov was elected as a member of the Central Committee of the Ukrainian Communist Youth League and has something to do. Paul decided to take a look at Zharky and Anna, and then went to Kiev with Okunev and the others. He went to the station post office to mail a diary to Lida, but he was delayed for a while. When he came out, all his friends had left.

He took the tram to Anna and Dubava's residence. Paul walked up to the second floor and knocked on the door on the left - Anna lived here. No one answered inside. It's still early, and Anna won't go to work so early. Paul thought: "Maybe she hasn't woken up yet."

At this time, the door next door opened, and the sleepy Dubava came out and stood at the door. His face was gray, his eyes were blue, and his body exuded the pungent smell of onions. Paul's keen sense of smell also smelled the odor of overnight alcohol sprayed from his mouth. From the half-open door, Paul saw a fat woman lying on the bed. To be more precise, he saw the woman's shoulders and a bare fat leg.

Dubawa noticed his gaze, kicked the door shut with his foot.

"What, are you here to see Comrade Anna Bohart?" He looked at the corner and asked in a hoarse voice. "She is no longer here. Don't you know?"

Paul looked at him carefully with a sullen face.

"I don't know. Where has she moved to?"

Dubava suddenly lost his temper.

“I can’t control this.

He burped, suppressed his anger, and said maliciously: "Are you here to comfort her?" OK, just in time. The seat has been vacated, let’s take action. You definitely won't hit a wall. She told me several times that she likes you very much, or as another way of saying it for girls... seize the opportunity, and then you will be on the same page mentally and physically. "

Paul felt his cheeks burning. He tried his best to restrain himself and said softly: "Dmitri, how did you fall to this point! I didn't expect you to become such a rogue. You used to be a nice young man. Why do you want to fall? ”

Dubawa leaned against the wall. It seemed that his bare feet were a little cold standing on the concrete floor, so he curled up. The door opened. A woman with sleepy eyes and swollen cheeks He stuck his head out and said: "My kitten, come in, why are you standing there? ..."

Dubava didn't let her finish. He slammed the door shut and held it against it with his body.

"What a good start..." Paul said. " Who did you bring into the room? How can this go on? "

Dubarwa was obviously unwilling to continue talking. He shouted loudly: "Do you even need you to give instructions on who I should sleep with? I've had enough of these sermons for a long time! Where did you come from? Go back to where you came from! Go tell everyone, just say that I, Dubava, am drinking and prostitutes now! "

Paul walked up to him and said excitedly: "Dmitri, get this woman away, I want to talk to you one last time..."

Du Bava's face sank, and he turned around and walked into the room.

"Bah, this bad guy!" "Paul cursed in a low voice and walked slowly downstairs.

Two years have passed. The ruthless time passes day by day, month by month, and life is advancing rapidly and colorfully. Life always brings new content to these seemingly monotonous days. Every day is different from the day before. One hundred and sixty million great people have become the masters of their own vast land and infinite treasures for the first time in the world. They are heroic. The country is working hard to rebuild the economy that was destroyed by the war. Not long ago, many factories were abandoned and lifeless, but now their chimneys are smoking. p>

Paul felt that the past two years had passed by so fast, almost unconsciously.

He would not live leisurely and greet the dawn with a lazy yawn in the morning. , and will not go to bed on time at ten o'clock at night. He always lives in a hurry, not only rushing himself, but also rushing others.

He often spends more time sleeping late at night. You can see the light on his window, and there are several people in the room immersed in reading. In two years, he has completed the third volume of "Das Kapital" and figured out the delicate structure of capitalist exploitation. /p>

One day, Razvalikhin suddenly came to the district where Paul worked. The provincial party committee sent him and suggested that he be appointed as the secretary of the Communist Youth League Committee of a district. Paul was on a business trip at the time. Outside. In Paul's absence, the Standing Committee sent Razvalikhin to a district. After Paul came back, he learned about it but said nothing for a month. It’s over. Paul went to inspect the work in Razvarikhin’s district. Although he found few problems, some of them included the following: Razvarikhin drank too much, attracted a bunch of sycophants, and squeezed out good comrades. . Paul brought these matters to the Standing Committee for discussion. When everyone agreed that Razvalikhin should be severely punished, Paul unexpectedly said: "He should be permanently expelled and not allowed to rejoin the league. ”

Everyone was surprised and felt that the punishment was too severe, but Paul insisted: “This bad guy must be fired.” We have given this depraved young master and student a chance to turn over a new leaf. He is simply a dissident who sneaked into the group. ”